existentialhell's reviews
68 reviews

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Murderbot Diaries are a fucking joy

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Did not finish book. Stopped at 21%.

God it's just so bad. Poor characterization where there is any, lazy caricature of sexism for the "work villain", mis-/noncommunication "conflict", corny dialogue. Disappointing example of the faking-dating trope and romance in general. Check out Talia Hibbert and Kimberly Lemming

Tell Me an Ending by Jo Harkin
Did not finish book. Stopped at 27%.

Neat concept, but irritatingly cliché portrayals of mental health and medication that I'm tired of seeing. "You're not the REAL you on psych meds" "They dull your mind" "They numb you out", all the classics. There's compelling and real and interesting ways to write about being treated w the wrong medications (I'm walking proof), but this ain't it.

The pacing's also frustratingly slow. I'm sure it picks up later in the book (generally how books work, go figure), but I'm well over 100 pages in and have been given virtually nothing for my efforts. Noor's done some bare bones research on RASA and who Louise was secretly calling, the Arizona couple's about to have dinner with the wife's old fling who's also Noor's former doctor neighbor, Mei's just getting on the plane to Amsterdam - but I can't bring myself to give a shit because there's virtually no broader tension. The book seems to think that plot alone is enough to establish the atmosphere and it just falls flat. The Arizona couple's the only one that convinced me to care, and I still don't even remember their names! Just feels like a slog.

If the writing were better, I probably would have stuck it out. Maybe I'll give the book another shot in a year or two with fresh eyes and attitude.
 

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

The Murderbot books just make my soul happy. Great, fun reads. I cannot stress how high of a compliment this is - The Murderbot Diaries are fun. 

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Dead Astronauts by Jeff VanderMeer

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Like most of VanderMeer's works, star ratings are useless WRT my actual experience. The book evolved far away from what I'd anticipated from the front half, but its hooks bit through the gills of my curiosity to the last gasp. Ask me in a year whether I liked it - I probably won't have an answer but I'll have wholeheartedly recommended it to every eco-mindfuck genre nerd I meet in the interim. 

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Should've DNFed. I've heard Wil Wheaton's audiobook narration is a much more compelling experience, I'd recommend that route if you're curious!

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A thoroughly lovely follow-up to A Psalm For The Wild-Built. I have some personal hang-ups about the entanglement of disability and existential identity and What It Means To Be A Robot that I haven't fully processed, but overall it's a charming read.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The horror and humanity of empire, and what loving it can do to its prey. And what the prey can do to the empire. Read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Colonisation

The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness by Meghan O'Rourke

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

It is too guttingly close to my own life to be anything other than 5⭐️. Not necessarily because I enjoyed it as a book, but because I needed it as a person.